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My favorite Children’s Books to help their child deal with anxiety.

When I was a teacher, I could always count on the emails and notes coming during those first few weeks, where parents would ask for recommendations of Children’s Books to help their child deal with anxiety.  As a play therapist, the ages have changed, but the needs have not.    Children worry about things just like adults do, but we have the ability to rationalize the situation, whereas children often struggle with the rationalization.

I’m partnering with Magination Press Family to share links, tips, and books that I can use to help other parents and children. Children's Books to help your child deal with anxiety

Today I wanted to share a few books that will help your child deal with anxiety.    I found these books at Magination Press Bookstore.  Their website is terrific.  It is geared toward parents with school-age children, and it has become a resource for practicing mindfulness and introducing parents to a library of books and resources for their children.   I have found that they offer many resources and books focused on managing stress and anxiety in children.

A person standing reading a book

Signs of Anxiety in Your Kids and What You Can do to Help. 

Did you know that 25 percent of adolescents age 13 to 18 will experience anxiety, according to the National Institute of Mental Health?  (Source: nimh.nih.gov)
In fact, according to the American Psychological Association, it is extremely important to listen to your child and “to identify when your kids are struggling emotionally. Kids and teens tend to internalize their feelings. If something is troubling them, they may not speak up and ask for support. Sometimes, they don’t realize that help is available. So, it’s essential for parents and teachers to be able to detect when something is wrong and how to approach your kids and teens. ”

Types Of Anxiety:

There are many types of anxiety, as you can see on Magination Press Bookstore. It is essential to pick out which kind of stress your child suffers from, like social anxiety disorder, nighttime separation, or one of the others. Once you can identify it, you can find them Magination Press Bookstore.

Getting your kids to open up and talk to you can feel like a challenge, so they have provided multiple tips:

When it comes to school-aged children, I have always found that one of the best methods of teaching is through books.  Reading a book allows our children to see that others deal with the same problem, to give them a sense of “I’m not alone”, and to allow them to see how the character has handled it.  There are many ‘stress and anxiety in kids’ books that are so helpful.

Top Children’s Books to help your child deal with anxiety

A bunch of children\'s books lying on a brown rug.

  • Blossom Plays Possum: Because She’s Shy
    Ask me my name? Want me to play? Call on me in class? I say nothing and hope no one will see me. I call that playing possum. It’s my way of being shy. Blossom wants to speak up in class, and she wants to spend time with friends at lunch and at recess. But whenever she tries, she freezes up and plays possum instead! Can Blossom get past her shyness and have fun?
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  • The Magic Box: When Parents Can’t Be There to Tuck You In
    This upbeat and charmingly illustrated book contains a wealth of tips for families in which a parent is often away from home.
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  • What to Do When Mistakes Make You Quake
    Explorers investigate places they have never been before. These explorers might take a while to make their discoveries. They might have trouble understanding their maps. They might make wrong turns. They might need to start their expedition all over again!    If explorers could not accept their mistakes and keep going, they might never make any discoveries! Does this sound like you? If you have trouble accepting mistakes, if you try to be right all the time, or if you worry about being less than the best, this book is for you!
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  • When Lizzy was Afraid of Trying New Things
    Lizzy the Sheep is shy and afraid of failing or making mistakes, so she refuses to play and try new things. Her big brother Fuzzy devises a plan whereby she gets to add a new stone to a rock pile every time she tries something new. She starts out small but eventually tries more and more things as she gets excited by the growing rock pile and realizes how much fun she is having in her play.
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  • 1-2-3 A Calmer Me: Helping Children Cope When Emotions Get Out of Control
    This book children to a simple rhyme they can use to slow down their bodies and stop mad feelings from spinning out of control.  Includes a “Note to Parents, Teachers, and Other Grown-Ups” with more information about the steps of the “1-2-3” rhyme, and advice for working through the steps with your child.
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    A little girl sitting on a small white chair reading a book..
  • A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers
    Worries can feel like a BIG problem for a LITTLE kid!  A Feel Better Book for Little Worriers assures kids that having some worries is normal — everyone has them, even adults!  The rhyming narration helps kids to identify a worry and where it might come from, as well as provides them with helpful tools to reduce and cope with worries
  • Emily Grace and the What-Ifs: A Story for Children About Nighttime Fears
    What if a big rhinoceros charges out through my closet door and pulls all my covers off and I get cold and catch pneumonia? What if I wake up tomorrow and I am a princess far, far away from home, all by myself? Emily Grace faces her fears and calms herself…and eventually thinks, “What if I close my eyes now and go to sleep?”
    .A book sitting on top of a wooden table.
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  1. Being Me: A Kid’s Guide to Boosting Confidence and Self-Esteem
    • Do you like being you?
    • Do you have confidence in yourself?
    • Do you believe that there are kids who can like you for who you are and want to hang out with you?

    If you answered NO to any of these questions, how about turning those NOs into know-how? Being Me is loaded with tips and advice for taking on everyday challenges and for building up your confidence and self-esteem. Come on! Take a peek inside and find lots of ways to explore your strengths and feel more confident in school, with your friends…with everything!

    An open children\'s book sitting on a table.
    These books are helpful, educational and fun.  Your kids will not only love reading them, but the impact that a book can make in the mind and lives of a child is powerful.
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    A close up of a school pencil that has been chewed lying on a table with text above it.

Hi there!

I’m Becky, a former elementary school teacher turned certified child development therapist and blogger. I work at home with my husband and together we are raising (and partially homeschooling) our four children in the Carolinas. I love diet coke, ice cream, and spending time with my family.

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2 Comments

  1. I’m so glad children have these resources now. They just weren’t around when I was a shy, anxious kid.